Take a Peek Inside the Smithsonian's Vintage Beauty Product Collection

You can tell a lot about a people—and their history—by what they choose to put on their face.

By
Hannah Morrill

Jul 26, 2016

Courtesy of the Smithsonian Institution; GIF by KP Peralta

At the Smithsonian National Museum of American History in Washington D.C., you can see such fascinating curiosities as Neil Armstrong's space suit, the full skeleton of a stegosaurus found in Wyoming, and... a tiny cellulose baggie of One Hundred Assorted Johnson & Johnson Beauty Spots from 1915. The last object is part of the Cosmetics and Personal Care Products in the Medicine and Science Collections, an array of 2,000 lipsticks, hair elixirs, and, yes, faux beauty marks from the last century. Thanks to a donation from Kiehl's, the collection has recently been digitized. (After all, even the best mascara is only meant to last three months.) In celebration of the behemoth undertaking, we asked research and project assistant Rachel Anderson to tell us about eight of her favorite finds. You think your makeup bag has some funky old finds? You haven't seen anything yet.

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Johnson & Johnson Beauty Spots, ca. 1915 - 1930

"The adhesive beauty spot, which had been a cosmetic fashion statement during 1700s, rose to popularity again in the 1910s through1930s as women sought to emulate the beauty marks–both natural and applied–of screen stars such as Clara Bow. The adhesive spots were made from leftover scraps of fabric, often silk or taffeta. The tiny crescent moons, stars, triangles, and squares were usually placed on the face to draw attention to a particular feature."

Don Juan Lipstick, #6 Dark Red, ca. 1940s

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"The unabashed red of this Don Juan #6 Dark Red lipstick viscerally conveys the era's newly positive attitude toward obvious and daring make-up. Government-produced posters encouraging women to join the war effort depicted female nurses and factory workers in bright red lipstick and dark mascara. Makeup, especially lipstick, had become such an essential component of American femininity, that the federal government quickly rescinded its wartime materials-rationing restrictions on cosmetics manufacturers in order to encourage use of make-up."

Lashbrow Pomade, ca. 1920s

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"The graphics on this Lashbrow packaging are wonderfully revealing, in that they powerfully communicate the look and identity that consumers of the product were seeking: the smoldering eyes of the 1920s cinema star. Advertisements appeared in a 1923 issue of Photoplay Magazine, promising to grant the buyer 'instant enchantment to the eyes' and that actresses such as Agnes Ayres and Betty Blythe used the 'absolutely harmless' product to attain their look."

Complexion Bleach, ca. 1910

For much of American history, mainstream cosmetics companies have ignored women of color as consumers. The beauty ideal was a pale Caucasian face: make-up typically came in a palette of light tones, and facial bleaching products were common. Anthony Overton offered facial bleaching products, such as Ro-Zol Complexion Clarifier and Bleach. Even though women of color were generally excluded from 'succeeding' within the racist mainstream American beauty standard of the time, these women were not necessarily immune to the belief that making their complexions a shade lighter might make them more beautiful, or more socially and economically empowered. The pressure to attain lighter skin was intense."

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Apple Leaves perfume, ca. 1908-1918

"This bottle of perfume conveys a glimpse into how the American perfume industry struggled to establish itself in the U.S. competing against established French perfumeries. American perfume companies often gave their products French-sounding names, like Solon Palmer, which made affordable scents for the American masses. "

Ayer's Hair Vigor, ca. 1867

"Patented in 1867, the bottle sports an image common of a woman swathed in an astoundingly luxurious cape of hair. Ayer's Hair Vigor promised to restore gray hair to its natural color, glossy vitality, and bountiful volume, as well as alleviate dandruff and falling out hair. In other words, it claimed to do everything consumers still seek from their shampoos, conditioners, and hair dyes—with one notable exception: it did not claim to clean one's hair. Before the early 1900s, bathing the hair and body were not popular hygiene and beauty practices."

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